SP: Reactionary Observations to the Loss to St. Louis - Week 2

• Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III was great in the loss to St. Louis. Griffin produced 206 passing yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT for a passer rating of 86.3. However, if you were to add his 8 rushing attempts, 82 rushing yards, and 2 rushing TDs to his passing totals, Griffin’s passer rating would have been 113.3. The latter rating is a better indicator of how RGIII played. This game was gritty, physical, and chippy. He delivered time and again with pressure in his face, showed a veteran’s poise, and refused to acquiesce to the fact that he was a rookie in an emotionally intense environment. With the Redskins trailing late in the 4th quarter, RGIII drove his team down the field and gave them the opportunity to, at the very least, tie the game before Josh Morgan’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty took the game out of his hands. This guy looks every bit the part of a quarterback who is ready to win now.
  

• WR Josh Morgan not only pushed a 47-yard game-tying field goal back to a 62-yard attempt with his penalty, but he also lost a chance to extend the drive by attempting to get out of bounds instead of immediately turning up field and securing the first down. How big of an impact could this have been? Well, even if Morgan still threw the ball at Finnegan after the play, the Redskins would have had a fresh set of downs to work with. Instead of being 4th & 16 at the Rams’ 45 yard-line after the penalty, it would have been 1st & 10 at the Rams’ 44. The penalty would have been stupid, but it wouldn’t necessarily have cost the Redskins the game.
  

• While Morgan’s penalty was inexcusably stupid, he is currently the Redskins’ second-most efficient WR (Garcon is first). Morgan was targeted five times by RGIII; he finished with five receptions for 50 yards. Against New Orleans, Morgan was targeted twice with one reception. That means RGIII is currently completing 85.7% of the passes he targets Morgan with. Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson, Aldrick Robinson, and Dezmon Briscoe all have a lower completion percentage. Morgan is a big piece of this offense and while he’s understandably being vilified for his gaffe at the end of the game, the Redskins are a better team when he’s on the field.
  

• Other plays that could have made the difference between winning and losing? Robert Griffin III’s interception with under 2-minutes to go in the first half (turned into 3-points for St. Louis); the punt block against Sav Rocca (turned into Rams TD); dropped 60-yard pass by Aldrick Robinson (pass would have set the Redskins up in the red zone; instead, the drive ended in a punt).
  

• The Redskins won the turnover battle for the second time this season, forcing three while only giving up one. Winning the turnover battle is a hallmark of team prepared for season-long success. However, realistically, you have to add two extra plays to the “turnover” statistic that are not currently being counted: the two punt blocks given up by the Special Teams unit. Additionally, the Redskins boast a stat-padding takeaway on their resume: Reed Doughty’s INT on the final Hail Mary attempt by Brees in week 1, which really isn’t an indication of the ability of this defense to force turnovers. If you count the punt blocks and discount Doughty’s INT, the Redskins have four takeaways and three turnovers on the season.
  

• The Redskins had 11 penalties for 96 yards against the Rams. They had 12 penalties for 127 yards against the Saints. This many penalties is the exact opposite of a hallmark of a team prepared for season-long success.
  

Read more here.

That Griffin interception wasn't a game changing play in my opinion. It was in the first half and basically gave them 3pts but the refs robbed the Rams of 6 points with that Steven Jackson call. So the points cancel out. Griff was under pressure all day and made a mistake that all QBs make. Now the Aldrick Robinson drop was extremely costly. It's a play that could've broken the Rams spirits! You just can't drop that pass at the NFL level! I hate to say it .. But Anthony Armstrong catches that bomb!

Yeah, I'm holding off slamming them for the penalty's until we get the experienced officials back and the woefully inept scabs out of here. It was disconcerting however that we bit to the Rams B/S and got involved on what seemed like almost every play. And the breaks between plays. Regardless of the useless zebras doing nothing to nip that **** in the bud, the staff and senior pro's should of done. That was highly embarrassing and needs fixing pronto.

Hail.

The article is right on all counts.

I'm thrilled to finally have a legit QB, but we obviously have a lot of work left to do.

The article is right on all counts.

I'm thrilled to finally have a legit QB, but we obviously have a lot of work left to do.

I agree with your entire post. A well-written account of the game.

And we're not gonna be perfect. But despite our challenges, I believe our qb will lead our team well. Shoot, at least we're not calling for his head over one interception.

Robinson's drop was the biggest game changing play to me. If he catches that we likely score 7.

That Griffin interception wasn't a game changing play in my opinion. It was in the first half and basically gave them 3pts but the refs robbed the Rams of 6 points with that Steven Jackson call. So the points cancel out. Griff was under pressure all day and made a mistake that all QBs make. Now the Aldrick Robinson drop was extremely costly. It's a play that could've broken the Rams spirits! You just can't drop that pass at the NFL level! I hate to say it .. But Anthony Armstrong catches that bomb!

I've seen Armstrong drop easier throws. I can forgive Robinson after last week when he was on fire.

the refs robbed the Rams of 6 points with that Steven Jackson call. So the points cancel out.

was jackson in? i may have missed another replay, but they one they kept showing had him fighting and the stretching the ball over and at that point they kept highlighting the ball. but at that point he also looked like he was no longer on top of bodies and it looked like his knee may have been down, though i think the view was obscured by players.

point is, i didnt think there was an angle that concluded one way or another.

funny thing is, jackson gets benched after losing his cool, exactly the same way that morgan did, which may gave ironically cost the skins the game.

you shouldn't need 30+ points to win a game. the defense needs ALOT of work.

was jackson in? i may have missed another replay, but they one they kept showing had him fighting and the stretching the ball over and at that point they kept highlighting the ball. but at that point he also looked like he was no longer on top of bodies and it looked like his knee may have been down, though i think the view was obscured by players.

point is, i didnt think there was an angle that concluded one way or another.

funny thing is, jackson gets benched after losing his cool, exactly the same way that morgan did, which may gave ironically cost the skins the game.

I think you're referring to the play where it was a giant Heathcliff pile up and you couldn't see anything. There was a play when he was in and tey showed an angle of him.

I can't remember if it was the same play or not, but I remember thinking at the time, the Rams should've had a TD.

WR Josh Morgan not only pushed a 47-yard game-tying field goal back to a 62-yard attempt with his penalty, but he also lost a chance to extend the drive by attempting to get out of bounds instead of immediately turning up field and securing the first down. How big of an impact could this have been? Well, even if Morgan still threw the ball at Finnegan after the play, the Redskins would have had a fresh set of downs to work with. Instead of being 4th & 16 at the Rams’ 45 yard-line after the penalty, it would have been 1st & 10 at the Rams’ 44. The penalty would have been stupid, but it wouldn’t necessarily have cost the Redskins the game

OH MAN! I yelled at the TV screen when that happened. He turned left and headed for the sideline. Had he turned around he would've seen no one in front of him. lol or he could've ran backwards 3 steps to the 1st down.

The article is right on all counts.

I'm thrilled to finally have a legit QB, but we obviously have a lot of work left to do.

I second this...........Griffin III is a rookie and has played in two games. He is the main reason the skins were in this game. It sure wasn't the defense. Anyway the skins are stiil recovering from over a decade of horrible drafting, signings and overall crap management.

The whole salary cap issue is directly related to efforts to alleviate pains from overpaying and try to push that into the cap free year.

This is going to take time. You don't give Cerratto free reign for over a decade and expect it to be fixed in a couple of years............however the Skins FINALLY have a FRANCHISE QB!!!!!!

I've seen Armstrong drop easier throws. I can forgive Robinson after last week when he was on fire.

I'm not saying that receivers don't drop easy passes but the deep ball??? I've never seen Armstrong drop a deep ball. Hankerson also almost dropped that deep ball from RG3 yesterday. We really missed Garçon.

Robinson's drop was the biggest game changing play to me. If he catches that we likely score 7.

Agreed. And Griff's stats once again hit the sky. Pass was perfectly thrown.

Cortland Finnegan

I don't wish for injuries on players but...

I hate to say this, but I was so thoroughly pissed that I really didn't watch the second half. I have a really bad temper and I was afraid I was going to break something in the house. I didn't see the Robinson drop. I barely saw the last couple of plays. I know that sounds bad, but sometimes I need to cool down and not wreck my house. I'm bad at home repairs. BTW, I'll be at the game on Sunday.

was jackson in? i may have missed another replay, but they one they kept showing had him fighting and the stretching the ball over and at that point they kept highlighting the ball. but at that point he also looked like he was no longer on top of bodies and it looked like his knee may have been down, though i think the view was obscured by players.

point is, i didnt think there was an angle that concluded one way or another.

funny thing is, jackson gets benched after losing his cool, exactly the same way that morgan did, which may gave ironically cost the skins the game.

It looked like he was in but actually it shouldn't have mattered. They shouldn't have had a 3rd and Goal from the 1 if they had been properly penalized the previous play for the illegal challenge. I understand Fisher didn't think they were going to review but he is a pro, he can talk to them about it. Doesn't give him the right to break the rule and not get penalized.

Bad defensive strategy; Aldrick Robinson has to catch that bomb; Another blocked punt? Is it Danny Smith or he player? Okay let's look at it like this: Last week it was supposedly Nick Sundberg's fault for missing a block. Well Nick Sundberg and his broken arm aren't there. If the block came from the same position, we can surmise that it is the scheme that is the problem which makes it Danny Smith's fault. If it was another position, then we need to evaluate and/or Danny Smith needs to choose better blockers for the punting unit. Whichever way you look at it Jim Haslett/Raheem Morris and Danny Smith had bad days. To think, just when Kyle Shanahan is beginning to look like a top notch offensive coordinator, our defense and special teams start to break down.

Cortland Finnegan

http://cdn.ksk.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/mollywhoppin.gif

I don't wish for injuries on players but...

can't quite tell whether he's punching that guy in the back of the head or the shoulder, but either way it's incredibly stupid. you punch a guy in the back of the skull, you get a broken hand. punching a guy who is wearing football pads in the shoulder is similarly hilarious. and of course that's all additional stupidity on top of the fact that punching a guy in front of refs during an NFL game is already moronic.

I think you're referring to the play where it was a giant Heathcliff pile up and you couldn't see anything. There was a play when he was in and they showed an angle of him.

I can't remember if it was the same play or not, but I remember thinking at the time, the Rams should've had a TD.

3 things here: 1. This play (Davis stretching the ball across the goal line) should have been reviewed and I believe it would have been ruled a touchdown. 2. The review officials are the regular ones, they are not replacement. 3. The 15 yard penalty ended up working out. Fisher should have been penalized for throwing the challenge flag but they got the penalty 1 play later on Davis. A wash.

OH MAN! I yelled at the TV screen when that happened. He turned left and headed for the sideline. Had he turned around he would've seen no one in front of him. lol or he could've ran backwards 3 steps to the 1st down.

I thought the same thing, Probably could have had the first down if he turns up field to his right. But, in his defense, I think he sees the safety out of the corner of his eye. There is not a defense for throwing the ball at Finnegan.

I thought the replacement officials would do an OK job on average, maybe missing an occasional holding or PI call but this game was ridiculous. The hit on Davis (shot to the head / defenseless or not) should have been called. And for their answer to be that none of them saw it? What were they watching? The Dallas game? And while the second guy does get caught most of the time in the unsportsmanlike penalties I think the regular refs may have talked it over and called offsetting penalties (considering the game as a whole, the emotion of the moment and effect of the penalty on the game) allowing the play to stand and the game to move on.

HTTR

PS

Despite all of this, The defense (read our coordinators game plan) is the reason we lost this game. 31 points and a hall of fame performance by Danny Amendola is ridiculous.

Bad defensive strategy; Aldrick Robinson has to catch that bomb; Another blocked punt? Is it Danny Smith or he player? Okay let's look at it like this: Last week it was supposedly Nick Sundberg's fault for missing a block. Well Nick Sundberg and his broken arm aren't there. If the block came from the same position, we can surmise that it is the scheme that is the problem which makes it Danny Smith's fault. If it was another position, then we need to evaluate and/or Danny Smith needs to choose better blockers for the punting unit. Whichever way you look at it Jim Haslett/Raheem Morris and Danny Smith had bad days. To think, just when Kyle Shanahan is beginning to look like a top notch offensive coordinator, our defense and special teams start to break down.

On the blocked punt it was not the long snapper who missed his assignment. I think it was Perry Riley who get pushed out of the way this week. This is all on Danny Smith and the players on special team. Plus, it looks like Rocca takes a couple seconds too long to punt.

---------- Post added September-17th-2012 at 10:41 AM ----------

can't quite tell whether he's punching that guy in the back of the head or the shoulder, but either way it's incredibly stupid. you punch a guy in the back of the skull, you get a broken hand. punching a guy who is wearing football pads in the shoulder is similarly hilarious. and of course that's all additional stupidity on top of the fact that punching a guy in front of refs during an NFL game is already moronic.

That was Andre Johnson throwing the punches I believe. Finnegan starts the whole thing by ripping off Johnson's helmet.

My observations were as follows:

1. Niles Paul has done very little in 2 games. He plays tentative and is really not progressing yet. New position, but our TE group is not getting it done.

2. Coaching staff needs to reconsider the Brandon Banks experiment. He does not run north and south and fumbles alot. (some inbounds and some out). He is not existant in the passing game and I still think his roster spot could be best used elsewhere.

3. Trent Williams needs to start playing like a top 5 pick. His footwork and hand placement is not good and he gets beat...a lot.

4. D Hall loves to talk trash, but still whiffs on tackles.

5. Danny Smiths group is a mess. Penalties, mistakes...non disaplined.

6. RG3 is a stud and single handedly almost won the game. He plays hard every play and makes things happen.

Offense (thanks to RG3) is ahead of the defense. Only game two, but lets see how this team reacts to adversity.....

just when it seems our offense is getting on track, our defense wants to fall to **** and give up 30+ points a game

My observations were as follows:

1. Niles Paul has done very little in 2 games. He plays tentative and is really not progressing yet. New position, but our TE group is not getting it done.

It's worth noting that Niles Paul was stellar in his blocking assignments against New Orleans. I haven't had time to review the film from STL, but my guess is that he was just as good there, based on Morris' success on the ground (same with Trent Williams, who Morris almost exclusively ran behind to start the game). The TE group isn't failing, IMO; it's simply not as big of a part of the passing game because (1) we aren't passing as much last season, and (2) we have a very deep group of receivers that are all getting involved in the gameplan. Just my .02.

I have one observation from yesterday, anyone with that new video package can confirm this for me:

When Josh Morgan got his 15 yard penalty there was a Rams player on the TV broadcast staring down our sideline and pointing to his helmet as if he was saying something about getting into their head, how they should use their heads, or calling them stupid players. He did this directly in front of the referees who were discussing the penalty, and one ref even came over and pushed the player away from the Redskins sideline.

The last time I checked the penalty for taunting another team's bench is an automatic 15 yard personal foul which would have off-set the Josh Morgan penalty. This isn't imagined either, it happened and it happened in front of the refs who merely pushed the player away and didn't penalize him like they were supposed to. I really hate that whole "the person to retaliate gets in trouble" bull**** prevails in most places. Unless the refs were literally blind yesterday they could have seen all the dirty extra **** the Rams were doing every other play, so one guy loses his cool and that's 15 yards, but they don't do anything to stop the guys who are doing illegal things which have cumulatively made the team lose their cool. If any Bengals players get a 15 yard personal foul penalty next week I would love to see the reaction if Perry Riley stands next to the referees and taunts the Cincy sideline while they're discussing the penalty.

can't quite tell whether he's punching that guy in the back of the head or the shoulder, but either way it's incredibly stupid. you punch a guy in the back of the skull, you get a broken hand. punching a guy who is wearing football pads in the shoulder is similarly hilarious. and of course that's all additional stupidity on top of the fact that punching a guy in front of refs during an NFL game is already moronic.

Andre Johnson is a standup guy by all accounts. The point is that Finnegan got under his skin too and caused him to start throwing punches with his BS cheap and dirty behavior all game. But some on this board would simply rather call Johnson a "thug". (not saying you)